Ben+Billy Bob walk you through all the current headline highlights.

I’ve already printed out my copy. Watch the show he co-hosted this week with China Writers’ Group member Billy Bob (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003511545399),
Blowback: Exposing Imperial Decline
https://www.youtube.com/@BlowbackExposingImperial-hh8ig
Outline
TOPICAL
TBA
VIDEOCLIPS
– UAF Independence Day : https://x.com/RWApodcast/status/1809174892513787977
– Grozny Gaza village : https://x.com/rtaenglish1/status/1808106326423113880
– Germany Lithium : https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1809115610078413078
– Elensky chair : https://x.com/joiedevivre789/status/1807663933534163363
– Azadi Tower : https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1808648774312755233
– Patel Orbán : https://x.com/DD_Geopolitics/status/1808436552428564885
MEETINGS, ELECTIONS
INDEPENDENCE DAY BELARUS
– RUC: Belarus’ Independence Day celebration concluded with fireworks, parade, and Lukashenko speech ( Belta BY )
┝ Russian DM Belousov and Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodyn were present for celebrations ( video )
┝ The heirs of those who capitulated are in charge – for them, nothing ended in 1945
┝ They think they can raise Nazism away from their home – they don’t understand
┝ This beast is uncontrollable, it will break free. It will come to them in their own homes
┝ The collective West is driven by thirst for profits, hatred towards victors – Lukashenko ( Belta BY )
┕ Iranian Azadi tower, and buildings in Hanoi were lit up in colors of Belarus ( photos, videos )
SCO IN KAZAKHSTAN
– WEA: Putin and Xi met at the 24th SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan to bolster security and counter the US ( Reuters )
┝ Erdoğan said the global system was collapsing amid inaction on Israel, hailed dialogue ( Daily Sabah TR )
┝ Russia needs irreversible steps from Kiev for negotiations, otherwise it will rearm – Putin ( RT RU )
┝ Belarus became a full member of the SCO 10 – complementing the BRICS 10 ( TASS RU )
┝ Xi and Putin hailed Russia–China relations as at their best period in history ( TASS RU )
┕ Xi urged regional leaders to resist external interference, strengthen cooperation ( CNN )
ORBÁN IN KIEV
– EUK: Orbán announces plans to create right-wing EU alliance – with Czechia and Austria – no aid to Ukraine ( Telegraph UK )
– EUK: With ‘Make Europe Great Again’ Hungary taunts allies, touts ‘hard right’ – as it assumes EU rotating presidency ( WaPo )
– EUK: Orbán traveled to Kiev for the first time since the SMO to pursue a ceasefire, and guarantee minority rights ( Euronews )
┝ Scholz told voters that Germany will never support a ceasefire that means defeat – not ‘party’ to the war ( DW DE )
┝ Elensky ‘didn’t much like‘ the proposal – he ‘had bad experiences in the past’ – Orbán said ( Weltwoche CH )
┝ Elensky dismissed the proposal – Deputy head of presidential office Ihor Zhovka said ( Kyiv ‘Independent’ )
┝ US DOS rejected the proposal – ‘only one solution, if Russia withdraws’ – Verdant Patel said ( RBC UA )
┝ US Pentagon is ‘fully committed to Ukraine‘s defense’ – Press secretary Pat Ryder said ( Defense gov )
┝ Yermak – in DC – rejected the plan – Ukraine is ‘not ready to compromise with Russia‘ ( Euractiv )
┕ Russia doesn’t expect anything from the proposal, spokesman Dmitri Peskov said ( Tass RU )
– EUK: Viktor Orbán‘s surprise visit to Moscow sparks dismay and anger in Brussels ( Euronews )
FRENCH ELECTIONS
– EUK: Macron’s party got ‘practically wiped out’ – Marine Le Pen declared ( Telegraph UK )
┝ Votes : Rassemblement Nationale 33%, Nouveau Front Populaire 28%, Ensemble 20%, Républicaine 10%
┝ Seats : RN 51%, NFP 26% E 10% R 6%
┝ Second round will be Sunday, 7 July
┝ Le Pen‘s rise is a big gift to Putin – rattling Germany – emboldening Italy – undermining Ukraine ( Bloomberg 💬 )
┝ RN performance who ‘see Europe as the problem‘ worries German foreign minister Baerbock ( Guardian UK )
┝ Brussels may suffer fallout after Macron‘s gamble backfired – a ‘collision course with the EU‘ ( Times UK )
┝ Le Pen plans to leave ID group – which will dissolve – and join Orbán‘s Patriots of Europe ( Bloomberg )
┝ It’s horse-trading time in France as ‘Hard Left’, and Macron seek to keep Le Pen out ( Bloomberg )
┝ 224 candidates ( from NFP and E ) have withdrawn from the second round ( Le Monde FR )
┝ Le Pen‘s support surges in nearly every city, town and village in France ( Bloomberg )
┕ Scholz consoles Macron ‘daily‘ due to ‘disheartening situation’ in France ( DPA DE )
BRITISH ELECTIONS
– EUK: George Galloway loses Rochdale seat to Labour four months after byelection win ( Independent UK )
– EUK: Tories suffer worst election defeat in history – Labour landslide wipes them out ( Telegraph UK )
– EUK: Starmer’s victory dubbed ‘a loveless landslide’ with fewer votes than Corbyn ( Telegraph UK )
BATTLEGROUND EURASIA
ECONOMIC FRONT
– 404: Ukraine in state of ‘de-facto default‘ due to $20b comm. debt – possible tax increases – MP Nina Yuhanina ( Sputnik RU )
– 404: Ukraine is to be told it is too corrupt to join NATO – membership talks cannot progress until clean-up ( Telegraph UK )
– 404: Ukrainians to be fined up to UAH 25,000 – $630 – for listening to Russian music – new bill in parliament ( Unian UA )
– 404: Ukraine has a month to avoid default – unlikely to reach new agreement, ‘disaster’ for recovery ( Economist UK )
– 404: Ukraine has foiled ‘Russia-backed coup’ – a group plotting to ‘take the parliament’ – SBU claims ( Telegraph UK )
– 404: Ukraine received another €2b funding package from the IMF – PM Denys Shmyhal has said ( DPA DE )
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– USC: NATO wants to establish Kiev post, and seeks to ‘Trump-proof’ Ukraine aid – to be announced at DC summit ( WSJ ☆ )
– USC: NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg failed to get allies to commit to a multi-year financial pledge to support Ukraine ( DPA DE )
– USC: US probling Chinese Telecom and Mobile over internet, cloud risks – so far no evidence of wrongdoing ( Reuters ☆ )
– USC: Boeing ‘angered’ safety officials by disclosing information on 737 Max panel blowout – missing four bolts ( NYT )
– USC: US deficit is projected to reach $1.9 trillion this year – Congressional Budget Office – $400b overshoot ( The Hill )
– USC: US tech industry wants to lock up nuclear power for AI – to buy directly from plants, sapping from grid ( WSJ ☆ )
– USC: US cart manufacturers ask for 100% tariffs on Chinese golf carts – imports increase sixfold ( Bloomberg )
– USC: Stranded astronauts are not worried – Boeing insists – while it tries to fix Starliner problems ( Times UK )
– USC: US cannot afford to increase the national debt, Fed chair Jerome Powell said at ECB forum ( RIA RU )
– USC: US services activity contracted at the fastest pace in four years – ISM index dropped by 5 ( Bloomberg )
– USC: US ports warned the White House of ‘grave’ Economic risks with China crane tariff ( Bloomberg )
– USC: US issued fresh sanctions against Iran over ‘nuclear escalations’ – Blinken statement ( Reuters )
– USC: US and China talking about how to preserve Armstrong‘s footprint – top scientist says ( SCMP )
– USC: Amazon plans ‘discount service‘ to take on Chinese rivals – Temu and Shein ( WSJ )
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– EUK: It’s time for Britain to let go of its manufacturing past – nostalgia hinders the shift to a digital economy ( Telegraph UK 💬 )
– EUK: Polish foreign minister proposes seizing all $321 billion in frozen Russian assets – Sikorski ( Kyiv ‘Independent’ )
– EUK: Air France-KLM will take financial hit as ‘significant’ number of would-be visitors avoid Paris Olympics ( FT UK )
– EUK: US car giant Ford announces massive downsizing in Cologne, Germany – 3,800 layoffs in Germany ( Bild DE )
– EUK: Prosperity in Germany is falling while the Russians are increasing? – World Bank data ( Berliner Zeitung DE )
– EUK: Paris hotels struggle with low demand as Olympics approach – tourists turning their back ( Euronews )
– EUK: ‘Flood’ of cheap Russian fertilizer risks Europe‘s food security – German industry leaders ( FT UK )
┕ they are significantly cheaper than ours, they pay ‘peanuts for natural gas‘ – Petr Cingr, SWK
– EUK: Chinese Temu, Shein ordered to provide info on EU tech rules compliance by July 12 ( Reuters )
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– ASO: Russian goods ‘find their way’ to Singapore as war fatigue sets In – available via Lazada, Redmart ( Bloomberg )
– ASO: US and Japan face disconnect over further China chip controls – Beijing could cut off minerals ( Nikkei JP )
– ASO: Toyota seeks wholly owned Lexus factory in Taiwan – negotiations around tax breaks ( Bloomberg )
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– RUC: Russia to continue supplying energy and food to global market despite EU sanctions – Maria Zakharova ( TASS RU )
– RUC: World’s first carbon fiber passenger train ready roll into Chinese city this year – lighter, energy efficient ( SCMP CN )
– RUC: China calls on scientists of all nations to study lunar samples – but notes obstacle with US – Wolf amendment ( AP )
– RUC: Russia seized ownership of Proshenko‘s factory – Roshen – under investigation for tax evasion ( RT RU )
– RUC: Modi‘s Russia visit dented the West‘s efforts to cast Putin as a Pariah – first since SMO ( Bloomberg )
– RUC: The Communist Party of China has reached 99.18 million members by end of 2023 ( Xinhua CN )
– RUC: Graphene in China‘s moon samples challenges lunar origin theory – no earth impact ( SCMP CN )
– RUC: China, Peru completed ‘substantial negotiations’ to upgrade Free Trade Agreement ( Reuters )
– RUC: China says US can’t stop it from taking ‘giant steps’ in space – well played! ( WaPo )
– RUC: China will meet its 2030 renewable energy target by the end of this year ( SCMP )
– RUC: The World Bank included Russia in the list of high-income countries ( Tass RU )
MILITARY FRONT
– 404: Elensky demanded a lift of weapons ban as Russia drops ‘800 glide bombs’ at Ukraine in single week ( Telegraph UK )
– 404: Elensky laid out how Ukraine can win if the West ‘loses its fear of Putin‘ – hit Voronezh airbases ( The Philly Enquirer )
┝ ‘You can’t help Ukraine with one hand and shake ( the ) Putin’s hand with the other’ – he said
┝ So he called for long range strikes – F-16s – more sanctions – EU and NATO membership
┕ The West is afraid of a defeated Russia, the chaos without Putin
– 404: Elensky challenged Trump to reveal plans for ending war – ‘he should tell us today’ – and offered to meet ( Bloomberg )
– 404: Elensky is working on ‘comprehensive plan’ for Peace in Ukraine – he told Slovenian President Musar ( Euronews )
┝ He talked about a second second Peace Summit, which must happen ‘as soon as possible‘ he said
┕ The article fully credits Elensky with 1st Peace Summit – ‘he hosted the summit in Switzerland‘
– 404: Elensky urged Biden to allow Ukraine to hit Russian airfields to stop bombing campaign ( Politico )
– 404: Elensky has lost global confidence – 46% don’t trust him – a Pew Research poll has found ( RT RU )
——————————————————
– 404: Ukraine’s new F-16ss will be destroyed as soon as they arrive – Russia pounding Elensky’s air bases ( Telegraph UK 💬 )
– 404: Ukraine attacked a substation used by the Zaporozhye NPP – eight people wounded in kamikaze drone strike ( RT RU )
– 404: Ukraine ‘will not defeat Russia under Soviet-style generals’ – MP Bezuhla called for commander shake-up ( Times UK )
– 404: NATO early warning aircraft are monitoring Ukrainian airspace – AWACS from Polish airspace ( UK Defence Journal )
– 404: Ukraine‘s MOD claimed that Moscow lost 35,000 troops in June, the 2nd highest monthly number ( Telegraph UK )
– 404: Ukraine is building up troops, equipment on the Belarus border – Belarus Defense Ministry has stated ( RT RU )
– 404: Ukrainian prisoners would rather stay in jail – ‘they are burning us off as cannon fodder at the front‘ ( Welt DE )
– 404: Five people, two small children killed in Ukrainian drone strike in Kursk Region – governor Smirnov ( RT RU )
– 404: Ukraine’s war will end in surrender – no negotiations but collapse – says Stephen Bryen ( Asia Times 💬 )
– 404: Ukrainians liable for military service must update data on TCC – or may have apartment taken ( UNIAN )
– 404: Ukraine needs to mobilize 200,000 by end of year to cover losses and raise new brigades ( Welt DE )
– 404: Russian Motorcycles, dune buggies and mayhem in Ukraine‘s East – it’s mad max out there ( NYT )
– 404: Ukraine denies bolstering troops near Belarus – Border guard spokesperson on TV ( Kyiv Post )
– 404: Ukrainian men are fleeing to evade conscription – ‘I am not made for war’ ( Guardian UK )
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– USC: US, UK France accused Russia of violating arms embargo on DPRK at UNSC – Russia says completely false ( Reuters )
– USC: US pledged to supply another $2.3b arms package for Ukraine – AD interceptors, ‘critical munitions’ – Lloyd Austin ( AP )
– USC: Stoltenberg, US Congress members and European partners push for removing ATACMS restrictions ( Defense News )
– USC: US military bases in Europe – several of them – on heightened alert amid possible terrorist threat – for the week ( CNN )
– USC: US Army armor ‘rumbles into’ new NATO storage facility in Powditz, Poland – 14 total M1 / M88 ( Stars & Stripes )
– USC: US signs new $4.5b Patriot missile contact – Lockheed will produce 800 missiles, associated hardware ( RT RU )
– USC: ‘Trillion dollar trainwreck’ – US super stealth fighter is eating the next generation – David Axe ( Telegraph UK 💬 )
┕ USAF leaders ‘may have no choice but to cancel‘ multi-billion dollar F-35 ‘NGAD’ program
– USC: US Air Force fires official overseeing Sentinel ICBM missile program under Pentagon review ( Defense One )
┝ Colonel Charles Clegg over ‘loss of confidence’, failing to ‘follow organizational procedures’
┝ The firing is ‘not directly related’ to ballooning costs – a 37% budget ‘overshoot’ from $90b to $130b
┝ The program intends to replace 50-year old Minuteman III ICBMs by ‘around 2030’
┕ The main contractor Northrop Grumman will not conduct critical flight test before 2026.
– USC: NATO‘s Stoltenberg accused China of ‘inciting‘ the largest conflict in Europe since WW2 ( Yomiuri JP )
┕ challenging NATO values and interests – therefore need to strengthen ‘partnership’ with SK, AUS, NZ, JP
– USC: China has ‘effectively sided with Russia‘ in Ukraine war – ambassador Nicholas Burns ( Sky UK )
——————————————————
– EUK: Germany is running out of rifles – 50k-60k G36 rifles for 200k roops is ‘too little, too broken‘ ( Wirtschaftswoche DE )
– EUK: Estonia shields itself from Russian threat – ‘we could hold out for a couple of weeks until allies arrive’ ( El Pais ES )
– EUK: Britain only has four fighter jets ready to deploy if nuke-armed Putin strikes – ex-commander Bagwell ( Sun UK )
– EUK: Finnish parliament unanimously approved defense agreement giving US access to 15 military bases ( YLE FN )
– EUK: Germany‘s center right gets tough on Ukrainian refugees – CDU to remove protections, benefits ( DW DE )
– EUK: British troops ‘unprepared for conflict of any scale‘ – Dr Rob Johnson MoD assessment unit ( Times UK )
– EUK: A ‘lifetime fighting Putin’s aggression‘ drives the EU’s next Diplomatic Chief – Kallas ( Bloomberg feature )
– EUK: Bulgarian president declines government proposal to lead delegation to NATO summit ( AP )
– EUK: Bulgaria demands a referendum on Sofia‘s withdrawal from NATO ( EA Daily BG )
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– ASO: War with China not inevitable – ‘we are small, but not alone’ Taiwan deputy MOFA Chung-kwang Tien ( Defense One )
– ASO: Taiwanese military bid to store ammunition on buddhist temple grounds during wartime sparks outcry ( SCMP CN )
– ASO: Online petition to impeach ‘President’ Yoon faces disruptions, delays as South Koreans flock to sign it ( Reuters )
– ASO: Philippines warned ‘US satellite-like‘ status puts it under Putin’s nuclear cross hairs ( SCMP CN 2 July )
– ASO: US recalls potent midrange missiles from Philippines used in SC Sea drills ( SCMP CN 3 July )
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– RUC: Russia may downgrade diplomatic relations with Ukraine‘s Western backers – a ‘point of no return’ – Ryabkov ( RT RU )
– RUC: Vladimir Putin announced the revival of RS26 medium-range ballistic missile production – in proportion to US ( RIA RU )
– RUC: Rus–US conflict will outlast Ukraine – Moscow must see Washington as long-term threat – Valdai director ( RT RU 💬 )
– RUC: Previous Chinese DMs – Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe – charged with dereliction of duty and bribery ( Times UK )
– RUC: Western talk of Ukraine peace is just for show – US will sacrifice allies to defeat Russia – Zakharova ( RT RU )
– RUC: The EU picked a ‘rabid Russophobe’ with history of hostile statements as chief diplomat – Peskov ( RT RU )
– RUC: Russia warned Israel over Patriot transfer to Ukraine – there will be consequences – Nabenzya ( RT RU )
– RUC: Ukrainian Tankman who hijacked his tank received Russian citizenship – Maxim Likhachev( TASS RU )
– RUC: The Russian Chechen Republic built a residential settlement for Gazan refugees in Grozny ( video )
– RUC: Russia‘s Northern fleet arrived in Venezuela – La Guaira port – Gorshkov and Kazan ( Ria RU )
– RUC: Russia is sturying intact guidance systems of captured ATACMS missile ( RIA Novosti )
INFORMATION FRONT
– USC: US Supreme Court allows government to ‘request’ removal of ‘misinformation’ on social media ( Guardian UK )
– USC: Hillary Clinton would support Ukrainian – political – attacks on Trump – Vovan & Lexus prank call ( RT RU )
– USC: Chinese shopping app Temu is ‘spying on Western customers’ – Arkansas persecutors ( Telegraph UK )
– USC: Yulia Navalnaya pledges to use US-based rights role to step up battle against Putin ( Reuters )
– USC: Half of Americans say China is greatest threat to the US – Pew Research survey ( Axios )
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– EUK: Killings, coups and chaos – inside Putin’s secret spy war on Europe – according to Ukraine sources ( Times UK )
– EUK: Putin ‘kills off’ 1987 INF treaty signed by Gorbachev and Reagan – this is false, US withdrew in 2019 ( Euractiv )
BATTLEGROUND WEST ASIA
THE BRAZEN COLONY
– USC: US pushes for deal to avert Israel–Lebanon war – Hezbollah won’t back down until permanent ceasefire in Gaza ( WaPo )
– USC: US has sent Israel over 10,000 2,000-pound bombs, thousands of Hellfire missiles since 10-7 ( Reuters ☆ )
– USC: US suspends Gaza ‘aid pier’ again – due to ‘high seas’ – Pentagon press sec. Sabrina Singh ( WaPo )
– USC: The ICC has postponed the decision to issue arrest warrants for Gallant, Netanyahu ( RT RU )
– USC: US officials concerned Israeli offensive on Hezbollah could drag in Russia ( MEE UK )
┕ US intelligence claims Vladimir Putin asked Saudi Arabia permission to arm Yemen with cruise missiles
– USC: US has ‘undeniable complicity’ in Gaza war killings, say former US officials ( Reuters )
——————————————————
– EUK: Netanyahu – once known as ‘Mr Security’ – has everything to lose and nothing to gain from deescalating ( Euronews 💬 )
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– ISR: Israel has never been impressed with its version of the $1b Patriot system – could offload 8 to Ukraine ( Business Insider )
– USC: Israel risking disastrous war against Hezbollah for political reasons – former US official Harrison Mann ( Guardian UK )
– ISR: Netanyahu insists campaign against Hamas will be ‘long’ – after reports that his generals favor truce ( Guardian UK )
– ISR: Israel‘s Eilat port declares bankruptcy following minimal ship activity – no traffic for 8 months ( Yeni Şafak TR )
– ISR: Israel to test ‘Hamas-free’ ‘bubbles’ in postwar Gaza plan – met with incredulity, called a ‘fantasy’ ( FT UK )
– ISR: Israeli Ex-PM Naftali Bennett urges Israelis not to leave as economy struggles ( MEMO UK )
– ISR: Israel has approved largest land seizure in West Bank for decades 12.7km2, 5m2 ( PressTV )
– ISR: Biden, Netanyahu expected to meet in Washington during Israeli PM’s July visit ( Reuters )
– ISR: Israeli occupation needs 10,000 soldiers ‘immediately‘ – Gallant at Knesset ( MEMO UK )
– ISR: Ultra-orthodox protest against order to enlist in Israeli military turns violent ( NBC )
——————————————————
– WEA: US demands Iraq close its airspace to Iranian cargo flights bound for Syria and Lebanon ( Defense Politics Asia )
– WEA: Saudi Arabia urges its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately ( MFA )
PERIPHERY – AFRICA
– AFR: The US can improve Egypt‘s security at minimum expense – it should do so post-haste – ( Defense One 💬 )
– AFR: AFRICOM expressed growing alarm about ‘Russian disinformation’ – Gen. Michael Langley in Botswana ( Defense One )
┝ Langley denied US planning bases in Zambia – US has ‘deepened security ties’ but no plan for military ‘footprint’
┕ Apparently Russian disinfo is ‘at the cusp of affecting’ coastal West Africa, after loss of Mali, Niger
– AFR: Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Cairo to advance EU‘s ‘strategic interests’ at EU–Egypt ‘investment conference’ ( EU )
┝ European companies signed more than €42b worth of ‘deals’ in Egypt ( MEE UK )
┝ ‘Green energy’ was highlighted, especially hydrogen, made predominantly from Natural gas – Egypt has 58.5 bcm
┕ €1b in ‘macro-financial assistance’ was also agreed as part of ‘migration deal’ – I found no details
UNSORTED: US elections
– USC: Biden says he is ‘first black woman to serve with a black president’ ( Telegraph UK )
– USC: Trump calls president ‘a broken down pile of crap’ in leaked footage ( Times U K )
– USC: No conversations about replacing candidate – Biden will debate Trump in September again – Biden comms director Michael Tyler ( Telegraph UK )
– USC: Biden ‘studied very haprd’ but ‘didn’t know what the hell he was doing’ during debate – Trump in Virginia ( Telegraph UK )
– USC: 60% of Americans want Biden replaced – 57% said Trump outperformed him – Morning Consult poll ( Tass RU )
– USC: Biden acknowledges age and bad debate performance but vows to beat Trump – no sign of dropping out ( Euractiv )
– USC: Biden struggles early in debate with hoarse voice due to ‘cold’ – doctor examination ‘confirms’ ( CBS )
– USC: Biden should be removed via 25th amendment as he is ‘not up to the task’ – US house speaker Johnson ( The Hill )
– USC: If I was bden I’d hurry up and have Trump murdered as national security threat – David Aaronovitch, BBC presenter ( X )
– USC: Biden nearly fell asleep because of having ‘traveled extensively’ he told
– USC: James Carville calls on Democratic party to ‘deliver change’ and replace Biden ( Guardian )
– USC: Only Michelle Obama can beat Donald Trump according to new Reuters / Ipsos poll ( RT RU )
– USC: The President did not have a great night, he had a cold – Karine Jean Piere ( Presser )
– EUK: ‘I was afraid of this’ – Biden debate debacle rocks US allies – Sikorski, Duda ( Bloomberg )
– USC: Trump hush-money sentencing delayed to Septamber after immunity court ruling ( Guardian UK )
– USC: Hunter Biden has joined White House meetigns as he stays close to president post-debate ( NBC )
– USC: Biden to meet Democratic governors to assuage fears after debate performance
– USC: Vogue immediately comes out with new cover story : Jill Biden – We will fight on ( Vogue )
– USC: Biden’s family tells him to keep fighting as they ‘huddle’ at Camp David – Hunter is ‘stongest voice’ ( NYT )
– USC: Biden attacks supreme court over Trump immunity ruling – a ‘dangerous precedent’ ‘undermines rule of law’ ( BBC, Times, Reuters )
– USC: US supreme court rules Trump has ‘absolute immunity’ for official acts – including January 6 ( Guardian UK )
– USC: Kamala Harris worried Democrats will replace Joe Biden with white candidate ( Telegraph UK )
– USC: Jill Biden defies Democrats over calls for husband to stand down ( Telegraph UK )
– USC: ‘Bad debate nights happen’ – Barack Obama backs President Biden amid debate criticism ( NBC )
– USC: Joe Biden’s disastrous debate blamed on bad preparation, exhaustion ( Reuters )
– USC: Biden’s family reportedly tell him to stay in presidential race as blame shifts to advisers ( Guardian UK )
– USC: Kamala Harris could win this election – let her – Lydia Polgreen ( NYT 💬 )
– USC: A new measure of Americans’ deep distrust of the media – 70% don’t trust media to report accurately ( WaPo )
– USC: Biden’s team worries as Macron’s election gamble ‘looks doomed’ – ‘dismay and puzzlement’ in DC ( Politico US )
– USC: Haley warns Trump to prepare for younger rival, renews call for cognitive tests – democrats should move on ( WSJ ☆ )
– USC: To serve his country, President Biden should leave the race – the Editorial Board ( NYT 💬 )
– USC: With Macron and Biden ‘vulnerable’ so is Europe – ’emboldened nationalist forces’ challenge NATO and Ukraine defense ( NYT )
– USC: In debate Trump shrugs, but NATO is shaken – across Asia and Euope ‘conerns’ sparked over commitments to allies ( NYT )
– Biden is awake 11AM-4PM ( NYT )
– USC: Haitian PM Garry Conille traveled to Washington and New York – as Kenyan ‘police’ patrol capital ( Reuters )